Why bad weather makes Congress work better

A tractor plows snow near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The snow may have helped Congress reach a deal on the debt ceiling. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Here's one way to end gridlock in Washington: Snow!

House Republican leaders had a rough start to their week when, with clear skies outside, they appeared to have trouble getting their party to agree to a critically important deal to raise the debt ceiling.

Should leaders appease their base and try to hold the debt ceiling hostage in exchange for other legislative priorities, such as raising military pensions or stopping insurance bailouts under Obamacare?

Or should they play nice with Democrats and the president and simply vote to raise it, allowing the Treasury to borrow money to pay its bills by a Feb. 27 deadline?

With just a handful of days left in session before that deadline, it wasn't clear what they would do.

But then the storm clouds rolled in, along with warnings of a massive snowstorm that would paralyze Washington, D.C., on Wednesday — including airports members of Congress rely on to get home for the long President's Day holiday.

Boehner may have paid a political price for his decision — it angered many conservative members of his party, and some tea party groups are circulating a petition to end his speakership — but at least he's home, safe and warm in Ohio today.